Tuesday, March 3, 2026

DESCRIPTIVE TEXT NARRATIVE FOR SMOKE/DUST OBSERVED IN SATELLITE IMAGERY
THROUGH 0000Z March 4, 2026

SMOKE:
Southeastern CONUS…
Agricultural fires were present this evening; however, widespread cloud
cover across much of CONUS obscured most smoke plume visibility. Some
plumes were briefly visible during breaks in the cloud cover. In Alabama,
multiple fires produced light-density smoke plumes that merged into a
broader light-density plume that dispersed and extended into eastern
Mississippi. Fires in Talladega and Calhoun Counties, Alabama, produced
moderate-to-light density smoke that moved north before becoming obscured
by clouds. Lastly, fires along the Florida-Georgia state line produced
moderate-to-light density smoke that moved northwest before being obscured
by clouds.


AEROSOL/SMOKE:
Mexico/Gulf of America/Pacific Ocean...
Smoke from widespread fire activity and remnant smoke from previous days,
as well as aerosol emissions from gas flaring and other industrial
activities in central and southern Mexico, concentrated into a layer of
light density smoke that extended along the Mexican Gulf Coast, across
the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, and off the western and southern coasts of
Mexico and Central America into the Pacific Ocean.

Hernandez


THIS TEXT PRODUCT IS PRIMARILY INTENDED TO DESCRIBE SIGNIFICANT AREAS OF
SMOKE ASSOCIATED WITH ACTIVE FIRES AND SMOKE WHICH HAS BECOME DETACHED
FROM THE FIRES AND DRIFTED SOME DISTANCE AWAY FROM THE SOURCE FIRE,
TYPICALLY OVER THE COURSE OF ONE OR MORE DAYS. AREAS OF BLOWING DUST ARE
ALSO DESCRIBED. USERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO VIEW A GRAPHIC DEPICTION OF THESE
AND OTHER PLUMES WHICH ARE LESS EXTENSIVE AND STILL ATTACHED TO THE SOURCE
FIRE IN VARIOUS GRAPHIC FORMATS ON OUR WEB SITE:

JPEG:http://www.ospo.noaa.gov/data/land/fire/currenthms.jpg
Smoke data:
https://satepsanone.nesdis.noaa.gov/pub/FIRE/web/HMS/Smoke_Polygons
Fire data:
https://satepsanone.nesdis.noaa.gov/pub/FIRE/web/HMS/Fire_Points

ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS REGARDING THIS PRODUCT SHOULD BE SENT TO:
SSDFireTeam@noaa.gov

 


Unless otherwise indicated:
  • Areas of smoke are analyzed using GOES-EAST and GOES-WEST Visible satellite imagery.
  • Only a general description of areas of smoke or significant smoke plumes will be analyzed.
  • A quantitative assessment of the density/amount of particulate or the vertical distribution is not included.
  • Widespread cloudiness may prevent the detection of smoke even from significant fires.